(Bloomberg) -- Iranian security forces arrested several people in public protests over water shortages in the central city of Isfahan, state TV reported. 

The arrests were made at a gathering staged by “anti-revolutionary” groups in the dried-up bed of the Zayandeh Rud river, local police chief Mohammadreza Mirheidari said in a televised interview late on Friday. 

The once-thriving waterway has been the scene of protests by thousands of people, mostly farmers, in the past two weeks over what they say is the government’s mismanagement of water resources. 

Videos posted on social media on Friday showed several people bruised and bloodied, allegedly following clashes with security forces who used tear gas and blank rounds to disperse protesters. The images couldn’t be verified by Bloomberg News. 

Authorities have largely blamed low rainfall for water scarcity in Isfahan, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Tehran. Environmentalists say the area has suffered from years of misuse, including the construction of water-intensive steel manufacturing plants and a pipeline project that diverted part of the Zayandeh Rud’s water to other desert cities. 

Environmental woes are the latest development prompting protests in Iran. 

The country suffered one of its deadliest crackdowns two years ago after people took to the streets to protest an abrupt hike in fuel prices. In July, mass gatherings in the southern Khuzestan Province over water scarcity escalated into violence in which several civilians were reportedly killed.

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